13When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to
him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" 14And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" 15And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13-15)
I was so encouraged by this. Was this the pre-incarnate Christ Himself? Even if not, and just an angel, it's still clear from Scripture that the LORD fights our battles for us, as He went on to do for the Israelites!
Notice in verse 13, Joshua "lifted up his eyes and looked". Then, he saw this man. He fell on his face and worshiped! Finally, he asked what he would have him do. Joshua's response is something we should imitate: We should first look to the LORD, then worship Him for who He is (i.e. the One who is worthy of our worship and able to fight for us), and then to ask what He would have us do. We can find out what He asks of us by reading His Word every day and obeying it ("Joshua did so").
I'm looking forward to reading on in Joshua to see how the LORD fights the battles for the people of Israel! I also hope to see Him fight some battles in the lives of my friends and family in 2008. If you are facing some very scary oppostion, listen to the verse my Pastor once shared with me. "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (Eph 6:10, emphasis mine)"
If you are not a believer in Christ, please be reconciled with Him. You are either for Him or against Him!
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